Iran-UAE rift clouds BRICS summit as India races for consensus

Source: The Hindu Business Line | Original Published At: 2026-08-30 08:13:16 UTC

Key Points

• India will host the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13 and is seeking agreement on a common joint communique among the 11 members.
• Differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict have complicated consensus, after earlier Foreign Ministers’ and Trade Ministers’ meetings failed to issue joint communiqués.
• India is relying on the Sherpa channel to narrow disagreements ahead of the summit and build consensus on the draft summit declaration.
• The summit agenda includes cooperation on trade, investment, finance, technology, development, cross-border payments, economic cooperation and reform of multilateral institutions.
• Heads of state from most BRICS countries are expected to attend, while the UAE may be represented by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
• India’s objective is to prevent geopolitical disagreements from derailing the broader BRICS agenda and to demonstrate unity despite the bloc’s expanding membership.